


happiest whenever i'm with you (online)

by choichanhees (sunyoungs)



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fans & Fandom, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Twitter, and make sure you don't turn off creator's style!!!!!!!!, anyway this is not a typical social media au, chanhee is a taeyeon stan, kevin is an ari/bey stan, yea my years of experience on stan twt is useful for once.. maybe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-11 13:55:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15973697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunyoungs/pseuds/choichanhees
Summary: @ariyonces and @rainmp3 did not start off on the right foot, but with their timelines colliding, kevin and chanhee might actually get along. keyword:might.





	happiest whenever i'm with you (online)

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!!! i started this a few months back (yes.. in late june) but then left it as a draft among the 94849393 others until i somehow finally found inspiration a few days ago, so here it is! 
> 
> i've never posted anything chaptered, especially one that's really incomplete in all sense of the word, so bear with me here!!
> 
> title is from cyber stockholm syndrome by rina sawayama <3
> 
> i know i said said this in the tags but it's really important so: **DO NOT HIDE CREATOR'S STYLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** to get the full experience, thanks to [these](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8631214/chapters/20890940) [codes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6434845/chapters/14729722), you'll really need to keep it visible.

Naturally, as all things on Twitter Dot Com, it starts with a like.

Chanhee is minding his own business, aimlessly refreshing his timeline every few seconds, when it pops up.

stream TLIC and APESH*T   
@ariyonces   
very brave coming from a kpop stan LMFAO keep your imogen heap reject  10:34 PM - 25 June 2018  250  698 

Well.

The tweet is typical enough, a fan of western pop being offended by trivial Stan Twitter humour and retaliating (often with the use of Racism and Xenophobia). Chanhee does not know @ariyonces, so that might not be the case here, but generally, as far as he’s concerned, they’re two peas in a pod.

His eyes flicker to the top of the tweet, zoning in on the handy ____ liked function.

Younghoon is the culprit, of course he is, Chanhee has known nothing but absolute hell since he was guilt-tripped into becoming mutuals with Changmin’s boyfriend.

Doesn’t help that Younghoon knows everyone — he’s been through every phase in the book, embarrassingly enough. It’s like having unhinged in-laws, except in the form of edgy Twitter users.

The appearance of the aforementioned tweet creates a lull in Chanhee’s otherwise-nice day, so he decides to give the older boy a piece of his mind.

(No, he's not above shady indirects. Sue him.)

june is taeyeon   
@rainmp3   
does oomf realize his ugly likes are public.. lol  12:07 AM - 26 June 2018  3 

The burst of satisfaction he gets is childish, sure, but it’s still deserved. Chanhee did not ask to see blasphemous slander against his Lord and Saviour— Taeyeonsus Christ, but because of Twitter’s algorithm and Younghoon’s chronic tweet-liking, he has no choice. Thus, the warranted subtweet.

The Direct Message from Changmin comes within five minutes flat.

**DIRECT MESSAGES WITH @uaenation** **iu comeback WHEN** @uaenation  
  
**@uaenation:** is that twt about younghoon >____<  
  
**@rainmp3:** and what if it is  
  
**@uaenation:** u know he doesn’t mean anything by it.. he loves taeyeon  
  
**@uaenation:** he’s like a giant puppy (Dog Face )(Tired Face )you know!!! trying to give everyone validation  
  
**@uaenation:** that’s all :-)  
  
**@rainmp3:** first of all  
  
**@rainmp3:** gross  
  
**@rainmp3:** second of all, idc idc  
  
**@rainmp3:** maybe i should reply to the tweet though i’m bored  
  
**@uaenation:** chanhee NO!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
**@rainmp3:** (Smiling Face With Halo )  
  


Chanhee laughs, closing the DM pop-up window. He doesn’t usually engage in petty fanwar-esque conversations, especially now that he’s no longer a teenager, but he’s a bit bored. He has nothing to lose.

(Something about @ariyonces makes him itch to defend himself, prove them wrong. About _what_ , he isn’t entirely sure.)

Opening their profile, he admits — though would never mention out loud — that the bio: _kevin. 20. and what about it_ , makes the corner of his mouth twitch. The inclusion of their age is relieving, he’s had enough of accidentally engaging with those much younger than him on this site.

june is taeyeon   
@rainmp3   
@ariyonces an ariana stan talking about rejects?? brave  12:023 AM - 26 June 2018 

stream TLIC and APESH*T   
@ariyonces   
@rainmp3 i’m not checking for an entire industry built on them tho (Flushed Face ) 12:25 PM - 25 June 2018 

stream TLIC and APESH*T   
@ariyonces   
@rainmp3 oh hell nah why do we have that many mutuals in common  12:25 PM - 25 June 2018 

june is taeyeon   
@rainmp3   
@ariyonces we love an argument rooted in xenophobic orientalism! until white ppl stop dominating the western industry, the exact same can be said. there’s nothing original about theft and appropriation :p  12:26 AM - 26 June 2018 

The second reply has Chanhee squinting, he didn’t see it earlier, but there it is — _younghoon♡'s tae, and 5 others follow_. The five others turn out to be some of his closest mutuals, even _Changmin_. He’s surprised it’s taken this long to come across @ariyonces.

A notification pops up.

stream TLIC and APESH*T   
@ariyonces   
@rainmp3 oof is it that deep.. just tell me to stan loona or w/e y’all do and be on your way kid  12:29 PM - 25 June 2018 

june is taeyeon   
@rainmp3   
@ariyonces kid… you’re so boring lmfao listen to circus https://itun.es/j45v75h 12:34 AM - 26 June 2018 

Chanhee gets enough of the assumed age thing in real life — youthful skin is nice, always being carded is not — he doesn’t need it on a website with no defining age markers (unless you admit to enjoying _Joanne_ ). And not from a person that’s literally _his age_. Fuck @ariyonces and their superiority complex.

As if he could get any more _annoying_ —

stream TLIC and APESH*T   
@ariyonces   
@rainmp3 my ears only listen to million-sellers, self love in 2018  12:40 PM - 25 June 2018 

june is taeyeon   
@rainmp3   
@ariyonces yet you still listen to yourself speak?? sad  12:41 AM - 26 June 2018 

Chanhee scoffs at his screen. He idly wonders how someone like Changmin — his _best friend_ , Changmin — deals with an _desperately_ edgy attitude like that on a daily basis. Maybe he has them muted, God knows Chanhee would. Though, Chanhee would never be caught following a person that condescending to begin with.

(Chanhee ends up deleting _No Tears Left To Cry_ off of his Apple Music just to make a point. He redownloads it after a week.)

(On the contrary, Kevin immediately takes a liking to _Circus_. And _One Day_. And _Baram X 3_. However, no one ever has to know.)

  
  


* * *

  
  
To say Kevin never expected a notification with _@rainmp3_ would be an understatement.

He’s seen them around, of course, usually because of three-way conversations between them, Younghoon and his boyfriend (his name is drawing a blank, though they’ve been mutuals for a while). All the Korean Pop discourse he sees in passing usually blends together, so he ignores them for the most part. The user in question tends to alternate between being on and off private, from what Kevin’s seen, too, so they never came across as the confrontational type. Apparently, he had the wrong impression. He’s surprised, pleasantly so, he cannot deny the adrenaline rush he gets from proving others — especially strangers — wrong.

He doesn’t expect to meet his match.

Usually, he gets blocked — or even muted — within the first few minutes. Instead of being provoked, @rainmp3 calls him _sad_ and ignores the hilarious gif Kevin sends in reply. He was saving it for a special occasion, the lack of reply is infuriating.

Kevin takes a chance at further frustration, opening up their profile to hate-read.

( _Just a few tweets_ , he tells himself. Within an hour he’s scrolled through a entire week’s worth of content. They, @rainmp3, seem like an avid tweet-deleter, though, Kevin might as well have gone through their _entire_ account. It’s a bit embarrassing.)

There’s a Carrd link, Kevin clicks on that, too.

_Chanhee_ , it says, also twenty. Taurus Sun, Taurus Moon, Leo Rising. He’s never been one for Astrology (he acknowledges that he’s a Pisces and that’s enough), so he doesn’t _for the life of him_ know what any of that means. 

Kevin goes through the various tabs, keeps reading.

Nothing of importance jumps out — biases, _what?_ , before you follow, _skip_ — until his eye catches the Last.fm link, jackpot.

(It’s a huge mistake.)

Besides the sprinkling of K-pop, they’re completely musically compatible. Kevin spots the 2370 — only about two thousand less than his, give or take — Ariana Grande scrobbles and _gasps_. He then notices _Dirty Computer_ among his 30-day Top Albums and needs to blink himself out of a stupor.

Okay, so maybe this guy has decent music taste. That doesn’t mean anything.

  
  


* * *

  
  
Chanhee forgets all about @ariyonces and their underwhelming interaction for a few weeks.

Until, that is, he sees _beyoncé’s shoe shiner liked your Tweet_ in his notifications.

_What the fuck_.

Not just any tweet, either — the selfie he posted a few hours back.

taeyeon_bot   
@rainmp3   
long day.. still looking pretty tho  4:07 PM - 14 July 2018  23  68 

He frowns. Is he trolling? Is this another roundabout way to irritate him? Chanhee doesn’t know him, exactly, so he can’t guess his rationale behind the move.

Well, whatever it is, he succeeded — Chanhee is annoyed.

(He goes on private out of pettiness, to send the messages _'stop looking at my tweets, I don’t like you and now you can’t even unlike, ha'_.)

A screenshot with a mere _'?????'_ is sent to Changmin through Direct Messages. Chanhee really cannot attempt to explain this if he tried; it’s bothersome. He needs a second opinion, even if Changmin is seldom any help at _all_ if it requires too much thinking.

**DIRECT MESSAGES WITH @uaenation** **iu comeback WHEN** @uaenation  
  
**@uaenation:** so what? (Thinking Face )(Thinking Face )(Thinking Face )  
  
**@uaenation:** random ppl like your selfies all the time?  
  
**@uaenation:** it comes w/ the pretty face (Kissing Face With Closed Eyes )  
  
**@rainmp3:** yeah but not people i’ve kinda had arguments with??  
  
**@rainmp3:** it’s weird i don’t like it  
  
**@rainmp3:** he’s weird  
  
**@uaenation:** you’ve weird too!!!  
  
**@uaenation:** (Face With Rolling Eyes )  
  
**@uaenation:** and being very weird about this  
  
**@uaenation:** you’re back on priv now right.. why does it matter?  
  
**@rainmp3:** i didn’t want him to see what i look like he called something new a REJECT  
  
**@uaenation:** ur dramatic  
  
**@rainmp3:** and you’re no longer my best friend  
  


  
  


* * *

  
  
Fuck.

_Fuck_.

Kevin wants to die.

Not even in a hyperbolic _ha ha can I die_ way. He wants to drop dead, right this second, so he doesn’t have to live through the consequences of his reckless actions.

Here he is, minding his own business, admiring the selfie of a cute stranger that popped up on his timeline — even going out of his way to _thirst-like_ it, because it’s proper Twitter etiquette — just to realize who it is.

_Him_ — @rainmp3 in all his glory.

(It inspires a look through his Media. He has a tattoo, on his _pinky_ , Kevin wants death.)

Bisexuality ruined his life, he’s going to die of embarrassment before his twenty-first birthday.

To top it all off, @rainmp3 seemingly goes on private _as soon_ as Kevin likes the tweet, which makes him come to the conclusion that he’s the catalyst.

In an effort to preserve his sanity, Kevin makes the ultimate betrayal to himself: he willingly seeks out Younghoon.

(Kevin meets Younghoon through Jacob — who _he_ meets at a cross-country summer Church retreat. Questionable circumstances aside, Kevin and Jacob hit it off well enough to exchange non-local Twitter accounts, too. Jacob follows a pretty Weeb-passing lifestyle, one Kevin would _never_ engage in himself, but he respects the older boy enough to overlook it. _That’s_ how he meets Younghoon, who is a mutual of Jacob’s and mostly tweeted about _One Piece_ at the time. At some point, he trades in 2D for 3D, scoring himself a boyfriend — _two_ , he would correct, _Taehyung counts_ — in the process.)

It’s not that he doesn’t like Younghoon. He likes him well enough — from a distance. 

See, Younghoon has a tendency to publicly flirt with anyone and anything, despite having a possessive boyfriend who sees his _every_ move.

Essentially, he has a death wish, one that Kevin would rather not be apart of. Hence, keeping his distance.

Kevin takes a deep breath, then sends the message.

  


**younghoon♡'s tae @solotaehyungist**  
  
**@ariyonces:** psst younghoon  
  
**@ariyonces:** i need your help asap  
  
**@solotaehyungist:** why are we whispering???  
  
**@ariyonces:** dumbass this isn’t a joke  
  
**@solotaehyungist:** i’m literally serious -___-  
  
**@ariyonces:** anyway i accidentally liked your friend @rainmp3’s selfie  
  
**@ariyonces:** and then he went on private  
  
**@ariyonces:** so i can’t unlike it  
  
**@ariyonces:** DO SOMETHING!!!!!  
  
**@solotaehyungist:** chanhee is changmin’s friend  
  
**@solotaehyungist:** his best friend  
  
**@solotaehyungist:** he’s cute but idt he likes me :(  
  
**@solotaehyungist:** so i can’t do much sorry :((  
  
**@ariyonces:** well maybe if you stopped calling your bf’s bff cute like THAT he’d like you  
  
**@solotaehyungist:** really?????????  
  


Kevin rolls his eyes. As expected, not only has Younghoon already gotten off topic but he’s somehow managed to make it all about himself. Woe is Younghoon, etc., etc. He can’t believe this, so he hates Younghoon for it, but he finds himself sympathizing with @rainmp3. If a friend of Kevin’s had a boyfriend that _unknowingly_ — and insistently — flirty, he’d be uncomfortable, too. Would run for the hills and never look back, probably.

(@rainmp3 clearly has yet to. He somehow constantly finds himself between the couple and their more-often-than-not obnoxious antics, yet stays civil (as far as Kevin has seen). It’s a testament of his patience.)

His screen blinks with a notification. 

  


**younghoon♡'s tae @solotaehyungist**  
  
**@solotaehyungist:** why don’t u just follow him??  
  


  
Kevin furrows his eyebrows. Younghoon’s logic is beyond him. He’s too simple minded, never thinks too far ahead. No one just _follows_ an account in the year Twenty Eighteen. Especially not a private account. It brings room for rejection, for disappointment, _Kevin doesn’t even know why he’s actually considering this_. 

Well.

It’s not as if they _like_ each other. There’s no way to go but up, right? Worse comes to worst, his request is denied, Kevin mutes him and moves on with his Twitter life.

He sends it before he can reconsider.

Younghoon’s single brain cell: 1

Kevin: 0 

  
  


* * *

  
  
Chanhee feels like screaming.

As if the situation couldn’t get more _bizarre_ , there’s now a follow request from @ariyonces sitting there, waiting for him.

He decides Twitter cannot convey the confusing emotions coursing through him — though, voicing them will probably prove to be just as difficult — so he dials Changmin’s number.

It rings once, twice, before he picks up.

“Chanhee?” 

He clears his throat. “Hey, sorry to call so randomly, but you wouldn’t _belie_ —”

“You saw the request.” _How_. It’s a statement, too, not a question. Suspicious.

Chanhee pauses. “How do you know about that? Don’t tell me you’re conspiring with the enemy..”

There’s a laugh on the other end. “Enough with the conspiracies. Younghoon just doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.”

“ _Younghoon_ is conspiring with the enemy, then.” He pouts, despite knowing he isn’t entitled to his friend’s boyfriend’s loyalty. “I knew I didn’t like him — he was a full-out Weeb just _yesterday_ , Changmin, he probably owns one of those creepy body pillows.”

“One,” Changmin starts. “He’s gay — those body pillows are exclusively for heterosexual men without significant others, I made sure to check.” Now it’s his turn to laugh, of course he did. Chanhee loves him, but dating his friend must be terrifying. “Two, don’t be a hypocrite, Anime fans might as well be our cousins. Behave.”

Chanhee makes a face. Anyone who’s had an Anime phase is questionable in his books, unless it was _Sailor Moon_ , or something equally as unthreatening.

“Cousins,” he repeats, disgusted. “I might be a slave to capitalism, unfortunately, but please don’t lump me in with a demographic that includes weirdos jerking off to 2D.” He trails off, before continuing. “Actually,” Chanhee muses. “Cousins is pretty accurate. I hate most of mine.”

“Get to the point. Some time this year, preferably.”

“Shut up, Changmin, you _love_ talking to me.”

“I’ll hang up,” he threatens.

Chanhee sighs. He knows better than to call a bluff. Scorpios are terrifying. “Well,” he says. “My problem is...” He’s stalling, and he knows Changmin knows it. 

“Spit it _out_.” 

He huffs. “Fine! I will!” He needs another second to gather his thoughts. It’s a little hard to admit. “I kind of, y’know, maybe, _possibly_ , want to accept it?” 

Changmin laughs.

And laughs.

And _laughs_.

By the time he’s starting to catch his breath, his guffaws few and far between, Chanhee’s cheeks are scorching to the touch. He purses his lips, mindlessly hoping he isn’t coming down with something: flu season is right around the corner.

“ _Okay_ —“ A wheeze escapes his now-ex-best friend. Chanhee’s fingertips are flirting with the _end call_ button. “Okay,” he repeats. “I think I’m good.”

Chanhee opts to stay silent, make his disappointment known.

“You there? Chanhee?”

He hums, but continues to say nothing.

“Oh, come _on_.” Changmin tries, unsuccessfully. “It was funny and you know it.” It certainly was _not_ , not to him; the entire situation is making his skin crawl. Though why he’s stressing over some guy on the Internet, he doesn’t know. “You were swearing you hated the guy a few weeks ago, but now you want to _mutual_ him? Were you abducted? Replaced by an alien? Possessed?” He hears a questionably excited gasp. “Am I finally going to live out my horror movie dreams?” 

“Fuck off, you weirdo.” Chanhee finally says, unfortunately endeared. “Not even the most sinister, desperate demon would want you.”

His friend makes a thoughtful noise. “You think Younghoon would be into some roleplay?” 

He really should’ve hung up. 

Chanhee drops his phone onto the bed, takes a few calming breaths, tries not to think about Changmin definitely being into _really_ strange shit. He might be indifferent to Younghoon, but _boy_ do they deserve each other.

It takes him a moment, but he reaches for the phone again — as expected, Changmin is still on the line. He’s used to Chanhee’s slightly melodramatic antics by now.

“Anyway,” he starts, once he’s convinced his voice is more even. “Back to me? My problems? With a little less laughter, please.”

“Sure, whatever you need.” He can tell Changmin is trying not to giggle, he’s not deaf to the hiccups he’s stifling, the fucker. Chanhee _loves_ him. 

“What?”

“I said whatever you need, Chanhee.” He repeats, despite knowing he was heard. “You’ve probably made up your mind, anyway, so go for it. Worst comes to worst, we’ll all soft-block. Or even hard-block. Whatever.”

Then, quietly, “you’re my best friend, you know that, right?”

Chanhee isn’t melting. He isn’t. He is _not_ warming up from the inside-out, threatening to turn all his — _completely essential_ — organs into useless piles of goo. His cheeks are not blazing hot for the second time in ten minutes, he does not want to hug his knees to his chest and _sigh_ contently. He’s just on the verge of getting sick, his immune system is fighting a war; he’s having a natural, _unrelated_ reaction to feeling under the weather. 

A grin threatens to split his face in two, anyway.

“I’m completely aware I’m one of the very, _very_ , few people who can deal with you, yes.”

It’s a huge lie — of the two of them, he knows Changmin is the one that never has trouble making friends. He’s cute, an extrovert, has those dimples, is one of the most caring people he’s ever met. Chanhee feels lucky. 

“Shut up and tell me you love me too, asshole.”

“I’d die for you any day of the week, just say the word,” Chanhee deadpans. “ _Bitch_ ,” he adds as an afterthought, succumbing to another huge smile.

That night, right before bed, he accepts @ariyonces’ request and follows back, plugging his phone into the furthest outlet before he could overthink it.

He does, anyway.

(Chanhee has come to know a thing or two about regrets.) 

  
  


* * *

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i'll try to update as soon as possible, but i'll really need to flesh out a better outline before i have an actual sense of how often i can update between work and classes and all that. so, again, bear with me!! i won't leave you hanging, promise.
> 
> hopefully, i'll be back as soon as next week <3


End file.
